The Republicans have had a presumptive nominee by March in both 2008 and 2012. The plan is to have the nomination sewn up for the Jebster by March of next year.
The RNC are experts at nominating the least liked, most likely to lose candidate.
Yep.
After the Super Tuesday round of primaries (all proportional representation), around 700 of the 1200+ delegates needed to win will be accounted for, but it’s very unlikely any candidate will have more than 200 delegates. That’s the reason for the no-chance candidates.
Starting on March 15, the winner-take-all primaries allocate delegates in big bunches, and are amenable to candidates with huge advertising budgets. That’s where Bush or his replacement hopes to pull it out.